Bad Blood
by Kate719
Summary: Elsa and Anna had been friends once when they were children. But a feud between their families resulted in their separation. Now 10 years later, Anna is back in Arendelle. Her father has given her a mission, one that she must complete at all costs – Elsanna (Warning: Possible dark themes in later chapters).
1. Prologue

**Prologue:**

"All things truly wicked start from innocence" – Ernest Hemingway

It was a particularly cool winter, but that made no difference to the joyous gathering that was currently occurring inside Arendelle's castle walls. The gathering was to celebrate the upcoming partnership between two of Norway's most prosperous kingdoms; Arendelle and Stavanger. The two Kings had been friends since childhood, and so had their fathers before them. There was an unbreakable bond between the families, or so they thought.

A young princess with platinum blonde hair quietly walked through the candle lit hallways of the castle, cautiously looking around as she did so.

"Anna? Come out, come out wherever you are," she walked further down the hallway. "Found you" she said triumphantly as she opened the helmet on a suit of armour. It was empty. She could have sworn she heard the creaking of armour. The white haired girl looked further up the long hallway, numerous suits of armour stood guard on both sides. There was no way she was going to check them all; there must have been at least two dozen. Anna may not even be here anyway.

Continuing forward, the girl soon approached the double doors that lead to the now vacated banquet room. "Boo!" The girl's pale hand had just clasped the door knob when she felt the weight of Anna latch on to her back followed by excited laughter. Her hand quickly rose to her chest in an attempt to calm her now racing heart. Anna detached herself from the older girl's back.

"Anna you gave me such a fright!" the startled girl said. She gave Anna a quick once over. The poor girl's fiery red hair was a mess; strands of it were sticking out of various places. On top of that her, cheeks had a slight redness to them. Elsa concluded that her young friend must have got rather hot cooped up in the armour for so long.

"Elsa you're so bad at hide and seek. I was in that suit of armour for years," Anna whined.

Elsa knew that she heard armour creak moments before. She smiled to herself. "It was hardly _years_, Anna."

"It felt like it" she whined. "I thought 11 year olds were supposed to be super smart, but I totally outsmarted you"

"It seems that am no match for your intellect oh mighty Princess of Stavanger. Whatever will I do?" Elsa sighed dramatically, the back of her hand raised against her forehead.

A little while later, the two Princesses were sat on Elsa's bed, happily munching away on chocolate. Elsa's personal maid, Gerda, had managed to sneak them some from the kitchen whilst the rest of the staff cleaned up the banquet room. The elderly woman often did these small favours for Elsa, and they were usually requested when the spirited Princess Anna was visiting. Gerda was very fond of Anna, mainly because of the way she could usually get the reserved Princess Elsa to open up in a way that no one else could. It was obvious how much Elsa adored Anna, and in turn, Anna adored Elsa. The sight friendship always warmed Gerda's heart.

After all the chocolate had been demolished, the young girls sat against the headboard of the bed, Anna's head resting on Elsa's shoulder. The fireplace had been lit at the end of the room at Anna's request, a gentle heat kissing their skin. Anna never understood why Elsa wasn't fazed by the cold.

She shifted her head to look up into Elsa's deep sapphire eyes. "We're always going to be together aren't we?"

Elsa's eyebrows knitted together in confusion "Of course," she clasped Anna's hand in her own, "Where is this coming from all of a sudden?"

"I'm not sure; I just had a bad feeling. I just needed to make sure. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Elsa resituated herself so that she was kneeling on the bed in front of the red haired girl. "Well you don't have to worry about that. I will always be by your side, Anna. Remember that."

Anna raised her pinkie finger to Elsa, "You promise?"

"I promise that no matter what happens, I will never leave you, as long as you can promise me the same," Elsa said wrapping her pinkie finger around Anna's.

"I promise." And they shook on it.

The young princesses smiled softly at each other. Their innocence kept them unaware that this promise was doomed to be broken. No one could have predicted the awful tragedy that befell Stavanger's Royal family 3 months after this night. Anna's mother – the Queen – contracted a serious illness. A few weeks later, she passed away. To say the King and young Princess were devastated is an understatement. The people of Stavanger were also heartbroken.

The heartbreak that follows the death of a loved one is a peculiar thing. The emotions that follow can be so volatile, so destructive, that it can be difficult to control them. Sadness, anger, loneliness – they all change a person. Many people are said to become stronger as a result. Strength is often associated with being a good thing – but is it always?

In just a year the King of Stavanger had become a very bitter and resentful man. His ideals of peace had quickly been dismissed in favour of power and control. He needed power, thrived on it in fact. One could say that not having the power to save his wife had given him a complex. Having an impressive navy behind him only fuelled his dark desires of control. Within the next decade, many kingdoms would fall at his feet – their only options would be to surrender or be destroyed. The King and Queen of Arendelle would try to get through to their lifelong friend, but he would have grown insane with grief, unable to save their friendship.

All ties would be severed, including those joining Anna and Elsa. Two friends, caught in the crossfire. Until a decade later, when fate would bring these two lost souls together again. One of them a newly crowned Queen – terrified of her own power. The other, a Princess who had been broken so long ago, that she had become just as cold and ruthless as her father.

**A/N:** Hoped you all liked the intro to this story. Don't worry guys, this is an Elsanna fic, just need to set the scene first. But stick with it. Thanks for reading! All criticism/advice welcome! :) x


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Hey everyone! Thanks for taking the time to read the last chapter and dropping a review. I'm not sure how to do breaks between paragraphs so it's all just lumped together. Anyway this chapter is a little bit longer so enjoy!

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**Chapter 1:**

"The more anger towards the past you carry in your heart, the less capable you are of loving in the present" – Barbara de Angelis

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**Anna – aged 9:**

The King of Stavanger was furious. Why didn't Anna understand? They were going to become the most powerful kingdom in all of Norway. For that to happen people would have to get hurt, that's just what happened in war. He blamed it on that damn royal family of Arendelle. His old friend and his blasted daughter had corrupted his, turning her away from his side. Anna wouldn't go a day without mentioning Princess Elsa's name. It was driving him mad. It had been six months now. Why wasn't she over it? She needed to forget the past. She had finished grieving for her mother soon enough, why not Elsa? He needed to be able to control Anna, to manipulate her into seeing the world his way, and he knew just the way.

"You do not understand. It can be a dangerous thing to tamper with a child's memory." The troll was pleading with the King, begging him to understand the precautions.

"No, I think it is you who does not understand you disgusting little creature. If you do not remove my daughter's memory of that wretched girl, I will have my men slaughter every last one of your kind until you are the last one left. Then you can live the rest of your pathetic life alone, knowing your family could have been saved had you not defied me." The King was grinning now, a cruel smile upon his face.

"I will do as you ask, but the heart is not so easily changed."

**Elsa – aged 12:**

The young princess sat on her window ledge in her room lost in thought. The pale moonlight gave her skin a soft glow. She knew that something wasn't right. She hadn't seen Anna in almost a year now. She hadn't even received a single letter either. Elsa had sent many to the other girl, but she wasn't so sure that they were actually being delivered. There was no way that Anna would receive them and not reply. They were friends – best friends in fact. What had changed? These past few months she had been so sad and lonely. Sure she had other friends, but none of them had fiery red hair and a heart so warm it could melt ice.

The girl went and grabbed a cushion off her bed to sit on. Sitting on the cool wood of the ledge for an hour now was starting to take its toll on her behind. After resituating herself into a more comfortable position, Elsa resumed her pondering. Seconds later she sprang from her seat, "I've got it!" Elsa yelled to no one in particular, "Anna must be in trouble. I cannot believe it's taken me all this time to realise. Anything could have happened. It's the only logical reason!" Reading all of those books in the library had given the girl an extremely vivid imagination. Wasting no more time, Elsa sprinted to the armoury.

In a room filled with various intimidating weapons and armour, stood the Princess. First she grabbed a shield, it was adorned with Arendelle's crest – an eagle with its wings spread, a sword clutched in its claws. Next she needed a weapon. Who knows what danger lies ahead? Weapons were neatly stacked against a wall. Elsa tentatively picked up a musket. Although she'd never used one before, she figured it couldn't be that difficult. She surveyed the room further, spotting the swords. She concluded that she would have more luck with one of those, so she slid it into a sheath and belted it round her tiny waist. In this moment, Elsa was a princess no more. She was a knight, a soldier, a hero. Ready to start her journey as Anna's white haired knight in a shiny winter dress, she left.

To say the King and Queen of Arendelle were worried was an understatement. They were positively frantic. This was just so unlike Elsa. They had raised her to be a smart and rational girl. Running away with nothing but a sword and a shield was the very definition of irrational. They had noticed that their daughter was missing a few hours after her grand departure. The Queen paced back and forth in the main hall, muttering under her breath. Her husband sat in a large chair not far from her, his head in his hands. He was angry. The head of the guards had told him that they were not allowed to be part of the search party for Elsa. He had warned him that with the rumoured rise of a new tyrannical leader, no member of royalty was safe outside of their kingdom walls. Everyone had heard about what happened a month ago. King Heim had been travelling by carriage to visit a neighbouring kingdom. It was a journey he'd done a hundred times. It just so happened that on that day, he'd cross paths with a madman. The two guards that accompanied him had been dispatched of quickly; unfortunately, the same could not have been said for the King. When his body was found he was missing four of his fingers, his knee caps had been smashed, and he had various puncture wounds. It was horrific.

A loud knocking ripped them from their thoughts. The guards had returned! With a quick glance at each other, the King and Queen headed in the direction of the main door to the castle as quickly as their legs would allow. A servant had just opened the oversized doors as they arrived.

"Elsa? Where is my Elsa?" the Queen panted, struggling to catch her breath. Her eyes darted between the guards. A small head of platinum blonde hair meekly poked out from behind the largest guard at the front. The Queen's tense shoulders slumped, and she exhaled as they did so. "Elsa what were you thinking? You could have been seriously hurt or worse!"

"Darling –" the King began.

"What about the wolves, Elsa? What if you had got lost and we couldn't find you?"

"Darling!" he successfully stopped his wife's ranting this time. She realised what had just transpired and tried to gain her regal composure. The King's gaze met Elsa's guilty one. "I am glad to see that you are safe, Elsa. But could you please go to your room? Your mother and I will be up shortly to speak with you." Elsa nodded and hastily pushed her way past them, her eyes not leaving the floor as she headed towards the stairs. The King watched her leave before turning to address the guards "I cannot thank you enough for your service tonight. As a sign of our gratitude, I will personally make sure that all of you receive a large sum of money for your troubles. You may also have the next week off to spend with your families" he looked round at all of their grinning faces. "I know I would like to" he added as an afterthought. "You are all dismissed".

With that, they all left, the large oak doors closing behind them. The King sighed, rubbing both temples with one hand whilst his wife massaged his back in small circles. "We need to do something about her, my love. This cannot go on any longer." She paused. "It has been a year now, and she still grieves over the absence of Princess Anna."

"I know this, dear. I have an idea – a way to make this stop. But I am not sure how much good will come of it." He sighed sadly, all his energy having abandoned him.

The carriage that the royal family of Arendelle were travelling in came to a sudden halt. Elsa pulled the curtain back to have a look out the window. She had no idea where they were. All she could see were trees. They must have been in a forest somewhere. She then looked across to her parents, confusion etched in her face. Opposite her, the faces of the King and Queen were blank slates – undecipherable. It was strange, the Princess had expected her father to be furious with her, but when he visited her in her bedroom earlier, he was eerily calm. He had simply told her to wear something warm and that they were leaving the castle in an hour. The sound of the carriage door opening pulled Elsa from her thoughts.

"We have arrived, my Lord" the young man said, bowing as held open the door. "Do you require escorting to your destination?"

"No thank you, Fredrick. I know the way well and there is no danger here". The King forced a smile, but it did not reach his eyes. "You will wait here. We shall return soon." With that, the royal family began their journey deeper into the forest.

They stopped once they had reached a clearing, boulders of all shapes and sizes were dotted around the grass. Wait – did one of them just move? There was some sort of chain reaction and suddenly, they came rolling towards the King. He stood perfectly still as though he was waiting for something else to happen. The boulder at his feet wobbled from side to side before uncurling from itself. From what Elsa could tell, it was some sort of troll thing. She looked around, the same was happening to the others. Before she knew it, dozens of trolls were quickly blinking in her father's direction. Her mother remained silent the entire time.

"Hello Pabbie," the King greeted the troll closest to him, "It has been a while."

"I believe that it has been several decades if I recall correctly," the spoke with a voice that exuded wisdom, "I have not seen you since you were just a prince. Now you stand before me as a King. To what honour do I owe this meeting, my Lord?"

"We need you to remove a memory" it was the Queen who had spoken this time. She held her daughter in front of her by the shoulders.

"Oh? And what is the importance of this memory? Memory altering is fickle thing; you have to be certain of your decision." Pabbie leant on a cane as he spoke, catching Elsa's eyes as he did so. She looked as confused as ever, but knew that it was not her place to speak when adults were conversing on serious matters. And this seemed very serious indeed.

The King nodded at his wife before speaking "Elsa was very good friends with another Princess, a girl whom she has not seen in a year. She misses her so much that it is causing her to make stupid and irrational decisions. But this is only a minor part of the problem. The princess that I speak of is the daughter of the King of Stavanger. I presume that you are familiar with his name?"

Pabbie seemed to contemplate his next sentence, "I am up to date with current affairs, yes."

Elsa was baffled. What on earth were they talking about?

"Then you can understand what it is that I want and why I want it." The King paused for breath, "I would like you to remove all traces of Anna from Elsa's memory. Anna will no doubt be under the influence of her father, and I fear that in the future, she may become a danger to Elsa. I cannot – no I will not allow that to happen." The King stood tall as if daring the leader of the trolls to argue against him.

"Very well my Lord, I will do as you ask. However, as I recently told another man who stood in your position, the heart is not so easily changed."

**Anna – aged 15:**

Today was the day that Anna had the chance to prove herself to her father – the chance to prove her worth. She wasn't just a princess anymore; she was soldier, and a valuable one at that. Her father had personally trained her in the art of sword fighting. He claimed that it was a skill that members of royalty had to be proficient in. He had also told her that if someone of royal blood was to die, it would be at the end of the sword. That was the honourable way. In addition to this, the captain of the navy had taught how to use a musket. She had excellent aim, even if she did say so herself. The one thing that she hadn't been taught was how to torture a man, and that was what she was expected to do right this moment.

Held captive within Stavanger's dark dungeon walls was a messenger. He personally hadn't done anything to warrant being treated this way, it was just that he had information they needed. And he wasn't giving up this information easily due to his allegiance to his King. Surprisingly loyalty was what had kept him alive so far. It was a quality that Anna's father greatly respected. However her father was also an impatient man, so the messenger's life was nearing the end of its expiration date. The red haired princess had one job to do, and that was to get information out of this poor guy. Torches scattered across the place allowed Anna to get a better view of him. He was bound to a wooden chair, his wrists and legs tied so tight that the ropes had cut into flesh, his blood staining them. A dirty piece of cloth was balled up in his mouth, muffling his cries of anguish. Tears escaped down his face, leaving clean paths in the dirt that covered it. Blood and snot had dried around his nostrils. Anna sneered. He truly was a disgusting sight.

The princess stepped into the light so that she had become visible to the terrified man. She saw him openly relax before her. What a fool. He had no idea what was coming. She spoke, her voice as cold as ice "You have information that my father needs. I have been told to get it out of you, by _whatever _means necessary." His eyes were now wide with fear. Anna found it comical, letting out a small laugh under her breath. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you – much."

It had taken a broken nose, a broken arm and the removal of one eye and a finger before the messenger divulged his secrets. He really was loyal. He had long stopped screaming in pain, and had now resorted to groaning, his vocal chords destroyed. Anna stared at him long and hard. Yes, she was a terrible person, but she would grant him an out if he wanted it. One could say it was a thank you for what she had learned from him.

"You are in an awful lot of pain," Anna began, "As I am in a good mood, I will offer you a choice: I could cut your throat now and end your suffering, or I can leave you in this state, where you have a slim chance of survival." She stopped to see if he had taken all of that in – he had. "Nod yes to die or shake your head for no."

He nodded. Anna plunged a dagger deep into his throat, tearing it sideways as she did so. The groaning ceased. His head lolled forward onto his chest. Blood soaked her hands.

**Present Day:**

A small ship was on route to Arendelle. In the cabin sat Anna, hunched over a desk reading a letter, she had read it at least a hundred times already. Just to make sure that she had not missed a single detail, she read it out loud to herself again.

"Dear Anna, the moment we have been planning for these past few months has finally arrived. Princess Elsa will finally be crowned Queen and the gates to Arendelle's castle will be open for this one day. This is your in. You must gain her trust. It is essential for our plans. Once you have done this, I shall send further instructions. You know how important it is to me that we acquire this kingdom. Arendelle will be mine. The others are nothing in comparison. DO NOT FAIL ME. Your father, the King"

On the day of the coronation, a ball was being held in the ballroom of Arendelle's castle in the evening. It could hold up to one hundred and fifty people. The servants had spent the last two days slaving away cleaning and decorating it. Although it was hard work, all of the servants were equally as excited as each other to see the ball unfold. How many years had it been since one had been held here? The townspeople were just as excited. Apparently only a select few people had seen the Princess in person since the terrible tragedy that had claimed the King and Queen. When Elsa was 15 her parents had left her for two weeks to create business with another kingdom. Whilst at sea, they were attacked by a warship. There were few survivors – the King and Queen not being any of them. Today the reclusive Princess was going to be crowned Queen. It would be a day that generations would talk about.

Anna scoured the room for the young Queen. She had yet to meet her, or even catch a glimpse of her. She had tried to sneak into the where the coronation ritual was being held, but she was unsuccessful. The pressure was increasing, there was only a few hours left of this damn ball, she was running out of time. She was also starting to get sick of all the guys with puppy dog eyes approaching her asking for a dance. All of them were weak. Anna wanted someone strong, an equal. She highly doubted she would find that someone here. Thirst overtook Anna, so she headed in the direction of a servant with drinks.

People had continued to flock around Elsa since the ball had started. They were all very polite and kind, but they were stifling her. She needed space, she could feel herself getting stressed, not used to all the contact with people. Spotting the doors on the far end of the ball, the Queen excused herself and made a dash for them. That's when she felt something – or rather someone – collide into her side. She spun round, catching the stranger in her arms.

There was no thud. Anna hadn't hit the floor. She took a moment to gather herself. She could feel gloved hands holding her in place. She looked up and gasped. Before her stood the most beautiful girl she had ever seen. Even the Norse goddess Freyja would be jealous of this girl's perfection. The angel spoke softly "Hi, I'm Elsa."

Anna momentarily forgot how to form words. Wait – Elsa? Was this the Queen? She detached herself from the older girl's arms and gave her a quick once over. Her platinum blonde hair was twisted up into a neat bun, and atop it rested a crown. Her sapphire eyes were locked on Anna's. "I'm Anna". She bowed to the other girl, "It's a pleasure to meet you, my Queen".

Time to make her father proud.


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Yes I know I'm cruel for making them lose their memories of each other but I'm afraid it had to be done :(. Thank you all for the reviews/favourites/follows. I'm glad you're all enjoying it so far :).

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**Chapter 2:**

"Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?" – Abraham Lincoln

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Anna momentarily forgot how to form words. Wait – Elsa? Was this the Queen? She detached herself from the older girl's arms and gave her a quick once over. Her platinum blonde hair was twisted up into a neat bun, and atop it rested a crown. Her sapphire eyes were locked on Anna's. "I'm Anna". She bowed to the other girl, "It's a pleasure to meet you, my Queen".

Time to make her father proud.

With a polite smile, Elsa spoke "Well I suspect you were on your way to meet someone before our little mishap so I'll let you take your leave." She started to move past Anna.

"Oh no not at all, my Queen. I was on my way to get a drink to cool down. It's rather hot in here." Stalling for time, Anna tried to think of a way to keep up a conversation with the older girl.

"It is yes. I was on my way out to the balcony if you would like to accompany me for some fresh air." Elsa suddenly became self conscious, "That is if you want to of course." A nervous smile graced her features.

"Yes!" Anna's hand immediately shot up to cover her mouth. A blush rose to her cheeks. She was horrified. "I mean, yes. I would love to." The red haired girl couldn't believe how eager she had come across then. How embarrassing. She didn't want to look as desperate as the other common people who had swarmed around the Queen.

A soft giggle escaped Elsa's lips, "Very well. Follow me." Anna nodded obediently, not trusting her voice.

The two young women made their way through the crowds of people to get to the balcony. Elsa stopped momentarily to ask one of the hovering waiters to bring them some drinks. The many glares from the rest of the party goers were not lost on Anna. She inwardly smirked. As they exited out onto the balcony, they felt the cool, crisp air soothe them. Although it was winter, neither found the temperature to be unpleasant, especially Elsa, who welcomed the cold with open arms. Before either of them had the chance to strike up conversation, a waiter arrived carrying a tray stacked with glasses of wine, water and several shots of vodka . Without hesitation, the Queen snatched up a shot of vodka and downed it in one. She barely flinched, and turned to face her companion. Anna just stared with wide eyes; her mouth opened and closed a few times, words failing to come to her. The waiter was also in shock. But out of respect he hid it well.

"I'm a bit nervous," Elsa smiled sheepishly, "I'm not used to being around so many people."

Anna kicked started her brain, "No, yes, no of course! I wasn't judging or anything. You're the Queen. I wouldn't dream of judging you. It was just a shock is all. I'm totally over it now. See look I'm fine." Anna quickly became aware of her rambling, grabbed a shot of vodka and downed it, wincing as it burned her throat. At least she had successfully shut herself up.

Elsa couldn't stop the laughter from escaping; her dainty hand wiped away the tears that had formed in the corner of her eyes. She noticed the other girl's cheeks reddening for the second time that evening. She couldn't help but find the other girls ramblings endearing. Meanwhile Anna hated herself for them, unaware of the effect that they were having on the Queen. God what was wrong with her? Why was she losing her cool so easily? Both Anna and Elsa took a glass of red wine each and the waiter dismissed himself.

The two young women spent the next hour talking about everything and nothing, the alcohol making it easier for them to confide in one another, their nerves slipped away. It was easy for Anna to forget the real reason why she was there. And the older girl couldn't remember that last time she had felt this happy and relaxed around anyone – or even if she had ever felt like this at all. Elsa had told Anna stories of her childhood in the castle, about the times that the kitchen staff would sneak her chocolates to stuff her face with. This made her think of Gerda. Her heart ached and she quickly pushed the feelings down. She spoke of how she would often get reprimanded by her mother for it, her chocolate covered face giving her away every time. Anna found it hilarious to imagine the ever elegant Queen being a messy and carefree child. It was so different to how she was now. Anna told Elsa of what it was like growing up with her brother, Kristoff. She told her about all of the trouble they caused and pranks that they would get up to. It wasn't that far from the truth. The blonde girl could easily see that Anna had been a mischievous chid, and probably still was to some extent. Time passed without them knowing, and the evening was coming to a close.

"So have you been enjoying the ball this evening, my Queen?" Anna asked.

"Anna, I have already told you, there is no need for formalities, simply call me Elsa," she smiled warmly, "And to be honest, although this ball is wonderful, I wasn't really enjoying myself until I met you." Her pale cheeks had a hint of red. Anna wasn't sure if it was due to alcohol or shyness. "It was good to talk to someone who isn't afraid of me because I am the Queen." Anna wondered how anyone could be afraid of the young woman before her, she was harmless.

"I really had fun talking to you too." Anna smiled genuinely before glancing over the balcony. She could see that some people were beginning to leave, signalling the end of the ball. "I better get going; it looks like the ball has ended." Anna desperately tried to think of a way to see Elsa again. She needed more time.

"Wait," Elsa took the younger girl's bare hand in her own gloved one, interrupting the other girl's chain of thought, "I would like to see you again." She briefly gauged her reaction, "Meet me on the path just before it leads into the forest in the north-east of Arendelle on Thursday at noon. Do you know where that is?"

Fantastic, here was Anna's opening. "Yes I do. Until then, my Que-I mean Elsa." She released her hand from Elsa's, bowed and took her leave, proud of today's accomplishments. Elsa was still stood where they had been chatting, her hand tingling from the warmth of Anna's, a small smile danced on her lips. For the first time in forever, she had made a friend.

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Whilst on her mission, Princess Anna was staying in a small cottage in the middle of the forest that Elsa had mentioned earlier. It was out of the way so she could train and create plans without prying eyes. She was not alone, with her were three soldiers: Kristoff, her 'brother', and Lars and Hilda, who would play the roles of her father and mother. It was the perfect setup. On the outside, they were a peaceful family. But in reality, they were all there to carry out whatever devious plans the King and come up with. Anna returned just after midnight. Her fellow soldiers were all waiting up for her. As soon as she walked through the door, they bombarded her with questions, wanting to know all the details.

"Princess Anna, you have returned! What happened?" Hilda was first to speak. She always was an eager woman. She was rather stocky; her dark brown hair just reached her shoulders.

"Did you manage to meet the Queen? Is she a threat?" Lars was next to speak, every word was well articulated, as if he contemplated every syllable before they left his lips. He was a tall man with greying hair and half an ear missing. Anna didn't know how that had happened and she didn't ask. It was a rule amongst the soldiers. You may only ask questions on an injury if they themselves have specifically drawn attention to it.

Kristoff was the only one who didn't speak. The blonde haired young man was sat at the table with everyone else, but he seemed almost detached from it all. He had boyish features that often fooled many of his victims. On the outside he seemed like a pleasant man, but in reality, he could be just as cruel and merciless as Anna. His brown eyes sought hers, patiently waiting for her to recount her story. He knew better than to harass the Princess.

Anna's cold stare met those of Hilda and Lars, they instantly ceased their questions. "Ok first of all, you do not refer to me as Princess. Two reasons, firstly because we are undercover, and I cannot afford for you to make this mistake in front of others. Secondly, because I am on a mission, and when I am on a mission, I am a soldier just like you." They nodded slowly. "Next thing, don't you _ever_ question me. If I feel inclined to give you details in which you have no need to know, then I shall do so. But otherwise, keep your damn questions to yourself." Anna exhaled slowly, trying to release her anger.

The Princess sat herself down at the table, glad to feel the warmth of the fire on her skin. She had certainly felt the cold on her long walk home, it made her bones ache. Kristoff passed her a mug of hot cocoa. She smiled softly at him, wrapping her hands around the mug. He was always so good to her. Hilda and Lars were still staring at her, waiting for her to say something – anything. She rolled her eyes, "Yes I did meet Queen Elsa," matching grins cracked their faces, "and no she is not a threat. From what I could tell anyway. She seemed quite lovely."

"Lovely?" Kristoff couldn't keep quiet any longer. His eyebrows were knitted together in confusion.

Anna coughed to clear her throat, noticing her slip up. "Yes lovely. You know, in the sense that she is too nice for her own good. She's weak, a pushover. Not at all how a queen should be. It's maddening." She sipped her cocoa, subsequently ending her rant.

"Right" Kristoff agreed. He knew it wouldn't do anyone any favours to disagree. Anna wasn't known for having the best of temperaments. He had to tread carefully, "So how did the ball go?"

"It was horrible. It was full of commoners, something to do with showing that the Queen was no different than them. What a joke. After about an hour I managed to find a way to gain her company." Anna neglected to mention that she had unknowingly crashed into Elsa like a klutz. "We spent the evening just chatting and drinking wine".

"What did you chat about? You managed to find out important details right? Like how much manpower Arendelle has? How big the fleet is?" Hilda must have presumed that the no questions rule no longer applied because Kristoff had asked a question. What she didn't realise was that Kristoff was exempt from this rule.

Anna instantly stood up out of her seat, the sheer speed of this action cause the chair to fall to the ground. Her hands slammed down on the table knocking over her drink. Hilda shrank away in fear, "Are you a fucking moron?" Anna all but yelled, "Who the fuck talks about armed forces with someone they've just met?" She looked expectantly at the cowering woman in front of her. "That wasn't a rhetorical question. Answer me!"

Hilda mumbled something to herself.

"I'm sorry what was that? I couldn't quite hear you. Did you say no one? Because that's the right fucking answer." The two men in the room were silent throughout this exchange. It was better to act oblivious to the whole thing than to piss Anna off further.

"I am truly sorry for my stupidity," Hilda needed to get herself out of this fast. "I shall take whatever punishment you see fit."

"That's right you will." Anna had a wicked glint in her eyes. "Lay one hand flat on the table." The frightened woman complied, trying to hide her fear. Anna pulled out her faithful dagger, grasped it tightly in one hand, and plunged it down towards Hilda's. The woman barely muffled a scream, her eyes screwed shut. When they opened, all they saw was the knife sticking out of the table between her fingers.

"Next time, you won't be so lucky." Anna addressed the rest of the group, "you may all take your leave." They scarpered.

Anna sighed and picked up her chair before collapsing back into it. Truth be told, Hilda wasn't the only reason why she had lost her temper so quick. She was angry at herself; furious because she had actually enjoyed her evening with Elsa. She hated to admit that her father's orders had barely cropped up in her mind earlier. Anna tried to blame it on the alcohol. This night would be the last time that it would happen. From now on, she would have her eyes on the mission and that was it.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: I didn't realise that I'd get such warm and fuzzy feelings when I read your reviews, thanks guys =3. If you have any questions or suggestions, don't hesitate to ask. And I so should have gone to bed at least 2 hours ago. I've got an early start in the morning :(. Hope you enjoy this chapter! Feel guilty when I'm dying from lack of sleep in my lecture tomorrow X**

* * *

** Chapter 3:**

"There is no normality in life" – Helena Bonham Carter

* * *

It was a particularly cool day, and a thin layer of frost graced the ground, but the weather did not deter Anna, who was waiting in the arranged spot for Elsa. She hadn't been there for long; in fact, it was her own fault really. The redhead had turned up early, thinking it best not to keep a member of royalty waiting. A gentle breeze caressed her body. Bristling leaves echoed in the background. Anna's thoughts wandered back to the mantra her father had drilled into her as a child. _Don't trust. Don't fear. Don't hesitate. _She knew it well, yet she still repeated it over and over again in her head. _Don't trust. Don't fear. Don't hesitate. _She didn't notice Elsa make her way towards her, a bag in her hand, and she still didn't notice when the other girl had stopped to stand in front of her. Tentatively, Elsa reached out a covered hand to shake Anna from her thoughts. _Don't trust. Don't fear. Don't-_

"-hesitate!" Anna, shocked out of her thoughts, yelled the rest of the mantra in surprise, and raised her fists in a defensive motion in front of her body. In a split second her eyes had adjusted to take in the sight of Elsa and she quickly lowered her arms. A sheepish smile crept onto her face, "Ah sorry about that."

"Hey don't worry about it, its fine." Elsa's eyes twinkled, "Although I was a bit worried that you were going to start a fight there. One which you would sadly lose I'm afraid." Elsa wondered what Anna had been thinking about to get such an intense look in her eyes.

The younger girl decided to play along, "Yes you're right, I probably would have lost. No one is a match for you Elsa. Disarming people with your beauty and then cutting them down with your strength. Who would stand a chance?" Anna said dramatically.

Elsa became flustered due to Anna's remarks. She couldn't believe that Anna thought she was beautiful. She quickly changed subjects. "Right well, we can't just stand here all day. There's a lovely place we can go in the forest where we can spend time without being interrupted."

Anna hummed in response and walked besides Elsa deep into the forest. She smirked to herself. Sure the Queen may have been joking, but all Anna could think about was how easy it would be to kill her now. They were alone in the forest, there were no guards to protect her, and Anna was pretty sure that no one even knew that they were here. Elsa had told her that she had lied to the castle staff, telling them that she had important documents to go through in her father's office and that she need not be disturbed until dinner time. That gave her several hours. It was a shame that the King had not yet given Anna those orders. It would make things so much easier in the long run; especially before she got too attached – not that she would of course. Don't trust. That was rule number one.

After about twenty minutes of walking, the two girls reached a clearing. It honestly was a sight to behold. Before them was a vast area of grass surrounded by trees. The subtle layer of frost made it look like it was covered in tiny gems as the sun bounced off of it. It was stunning. Anna glanced at Elsa. The older girl was busy removing a thick blanket from her bag and laying it across the ground.

Elsa sat herself down and patted the ground next to her, "Come, sit."

Anna quickly nodded and dropped down, shuffling about to get into a comfy position. It had been rather ungraceful, unlike Elsa, who even managed to make sitting down look like an elegant move. Elsa sat with her legs crossed, back straight and her hands sat on top of each other in her lap. She wore a long black coat for warmth, along with some black gloves with intricate teal coloured designs. Her companion was unaware that her attire was merely for show. The cold had no effect. Her platinum blonde hair was also twisted up into a bun, just like when Anna first met her. The redhead did not look quite as regal as her friend. Instead, she was lying on her back with her elbows propping her up, positioned so that she could easily look up to the Queen beside her. She wore a navy blue winter coat, and forwent the gloves. Her fiery red hair was neatly plaited into braids. It was a picturesque moment.

The two girls spent hours talking and laughing with each other before Anna decided to bring something up about Elsa that had been bugging her. She sat up and mirrored the blonde's position. "Elsa, why do you always wear gloves?" A look of confusion passed over the other girls face. "I mean, I know its cold out now, so it's necessary, but from what I've heard you wear them all the time." Realisation dawned on Elsa's face. Anna thought that she looked stressed at having been found out. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to offend you. I shouldn't have brought it up. Forget it." She could not afford to mess up her delicate relationship with the Queen.

"It's ok, Anna. You didn't say anything wrong." Elsa felt tense. Maybe she could take the gloves off in front of her new friend. Perhaps she wouldn't lose control. It was strange that she wore gloves all the time. She didn't want Anna to think of her as odd. Slowly, Elsa removed the gloves one at a time. She held her pale hands out in front of her, a smile upon her face. Nothing seemed to be going wrong. But she didn't notice them tremor.

"Elsa your hands, they're shaking!" Anna began to remove her coat, pulling it apart from the lapels. "You're cold. Here take my coat."

"No wait," Elsa's cold hands reached out and rested on top of Anna's warm one's on her coat, effectively halting her removing it. Anna gasped at the sensation of Elsa's soft hands. It was the first time their bare skin had touched. "I'm fine, Anna. Honestly." They shared shy smiles.

"Your hands are cold." Anna said quietly.

"You know what they say; cold hands mean a warm heart." Elsa winked.

It was then that the older girl chose to remove her hands from Anna's. They had been there for far longer than appropriate. But the redhead was having none of it. As soon as she felt the separation she clasped Elsa's hand back in hers and entwined their fingers bringing them to rest upon her lap. They were a perfect fit. A flurry of snow began to fall around them. Elsa knew that it was her fault. Her nervousness had hijacked her powers. Luckily Anna didn't seem to notice. She was far too excited by the amount of snow that now covered the ground and their blanket. She had been laughing in such a carefree manner since it had started. Elsa didn't even try to make it stop.

Anna turned to her, the enthusiasm never leaving her face, "Do you wanna build a snowman?"

* * *

Two months had passed and Anna had still not received any other orders from the King. What was her father playing at? He had never left her under cover for this long before. He was really being thorough this time. Acquiring Arendelle obviously meant a lot to him. She thought that surely Arendelle wouldn't be that difficult to take over, especially with such a young Queen, but Anna knew better than to question her father's methods. She would pay severely for it if he found out.

During this time Anna and Elsa had met up with each other at least three or four times a week. Elsa had been shirking a lot of her queenly duties, but luckily she had an entourage of loyal men who were used to keeping things in order before she became of age. Anna felt that all of her hard work had paid off. She was certain that Elsa trusted her now, thanks to the strong friendship she had forged.

It was a Sunday evening, and enough harassment on Anna's part had lead to Elsa having dinner at her small cottage in the woods. She had made up some lie about how her mother and father had simply adored the King and Queen and were devastated at their passing. And that after they had found out that Anna secretly knew Elsa, their daughter and the new Queen; they wouldn't let her off the hook until they met her. The older girl eventually relented to Anna's wishes. What she didn't know however, was this was about as far from the truth as it could get. Lars and Hilda loathed the Queen of Arendelle. Although they had never met her, it was more the idea of her that they hated. The fact that she was so young and inexperienced, it was laughable that she was now running the kingdom. Well, for the time being anyway. It was also because of how long they had been on the mission for, kept away from their families back in Stavanger, they blamed her for that too. Anna was unsure of Kristoff's opinion of her, he masked his emotions well.

Surprisingly the evening had gone fantastically. Hilda and Lars fell into the caring mother and father role easily, and Kristoff acted similar to how he did when he and Anna were kids, so he seemed just like an older brother. Her 'parents' were also great at pretending to be huge admirers of the Royal family, without coming across too strong to scare Elsa off. Kristoff even flirted with Elsa a bit, using his boyish good looks to try and charm her. Anna hadn't worked so hard to craft this friendship for them to ruin it all in one night. She was relieved everything had gone well, reminding herself to congratulate them all on a job well done later.

Elsa thoroughly enjoyed herself at dinner. Anna's family seemed picture perfect, something that others should aspire to be like. She was almost jealous, never having had this sense of normality in her life. She supposed being a princess and now queen made it difficult for normality to occur, even without factoring her powers into the equation.

After a large meal of deer and copious amounts of potatoes and vegetables, the two girls retired to Anna's room. They were holding hands, something that had become quite natural for them since the first time it had happened. Elsa had taken her gloves off once they were in the safety of Anna's room. They sat on the small bed in a comfortable silence. That is, until the redhead decided to break it. "You should let your hair down one day." She tucked a stray strand of Elsa's hair behind her ear. "I'd love to see what it looks like free, like how you acted this evening." She had yet to remove her hand. "I bet you'd look beautiful. Even more beautifuller than now. I mean more beautiful. Not that you don't always look beautiful." Oh no she was rambling. What was wrong with her? She quickly pulled her hand away. Both of their faces had a red hue. Anna stared into her lap, too embarrassed to face her friend.

"Why do you always do that?" Elsa asked.

Anna's eyes snapped up to meet hers. "Do what?"

"Call me beautiful?" Elsa looked upset. "You shouldn't say things like that. You don't understand what you're saying."

A cold chill settled in the room. That was odd; Anna could have sworn that the fire was on in another room.

"Why not? It's true. Even a blind man could see how gorgeous you are." Anna was adamant on this subject.

"Stop it! You don't know what you're doing to me" Elsa's voice rose in volume. The older girl was panicking. The room had definitely become a lot colder.

Anna knew that she should probably put an end to this argument, but she couldn't find it in herself to do so. "Then tell me! Because you're right, I don't understand."

Elsa snapped. She thrust Anna down onto the bed, climbing atop her in one swift motion. One hand rested on her Anna's chest, whilst the other rested ever so gently on her freckled cheek. The younger girl didn't know what was going on. Her arms lay limp at her sides. She could feel Elsa's weight pressed against her body, her cool breath tickling her lips. They were suddenly dry, so she licked them for moisture. Elsa's eyes darted away from her eyes to watch the motion. Anna could have sworn that she saw the blonde's bright blue eyes darken.

"Ok" was all Elsa said before she closed her eyes, leaning in to press her lips against Anna's soft and supple ones. They heard a gasp, neither sure who it belonged to.

Elsa sighed as she pulled back. Her eyes opened and took in the shocked state of Anna. It was in that moment that she realised what she had done. Horrified, she jumped back off the bed and backed away towards the door. Anna managed to sit herself up on the edge of the bed, blankly staring at Elsa. Her mouth hung slightly open, and her eyes were unseeing. She was frozen in place, but figuratively, not by the fast approaching branches of ice that seemed to be coming from where Elsa stood. The blonde girl realised what was happening and was terrified. She had lost control. Not just of her emotions, but her powers as well. She swung open the bedroom door and bolted.

Anna raised her hand slowly, and traced her lips with a finger. She felt strange. The slamming of the front door woke her from her trance. She looked round. There was ice everywhere. It covered the floor and had begun its journey up the walls. Elsa was gone. Anna shot up and ran towards her door, the handle had completely frozen. She swung it open and sprinted to the front door.

"Anna, I know it's late but I think this letter has just arrived from your father." Hilda had blocked her path, thrusting a letter in Anna's direction.

"No time!" In a frenzy, she shoved the poor woman with all her strength out of the way into the nearest wall. As she made it out of the front door, an unimaginable snow storm almost knocked her off of her feet.

She had to find Elsa.


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys! This chapter would have been posted sooner as I started writing it a couple of days ago but then I got into Strike Witches. I'm embarrassed to say that it momentarily consumed my life. Oh and I watched the Super Bowl with my housemates until some stupid time in the morning. It was quite cool. I feel bad if any of you are Broncos fans. Anyway I'm back now so enjoy! And I'm sorry I missed that Friday deadline x**

* * *

**Chapter 4:**

"A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it" – Jean de La Fontaine

* * *

Elsa was running. To where she did not know but still she ran. She just needed to be far away from Anna, as far away as she could get. She didn't even notice the snow storm around her, the storm that she had unknowingly conjured. She was scared and confused, and the adrenaline that pumped though her veins aided in her escape. After running for what felt like forever, Elsa's energy levels had finally been depleted, and she jogged to a stop, panting for oxygen. She took in her surroundings. Whiteness – there was so much snow everywhere. As the adrenaline faded, so did the raging snow storm. It had now ceased to the gentle falling of flakes. Tears welled up in the frightened girl's eyes. She had ruined everything – her friendship with Anna and probably everything in this forest. Her powers had caused several trees to crash and fall into one another. Why was she cursed to destroy everything?

"Elsa?!" The blonde haired girl sharply turned in the direction of where her name was being called from. Her fearful eyes met Anna's, who was stood several metres away. "Wait a second – don't run."

The frightened girl had already begun to back away. "Stay away, Anna. I'm dangerous". She heard a twig snap, the redhead was creeping closer. "I said don't!"

In a flash, sharp spears of ice shot out from the ground right before Anna's feet, the young girl yelped and dived out of the way, landing in a pile of branches and snow. Her reflexes were on top form thanks to the years of physical training her father had put her through. She got up and dusted off the dirt and snow from her thin dress. The wetness of her clothes only added to her dropping body temperature. However she was not going to be deterred; she had assigned herself a mission, to find and stop Elsa. Anna glanced round. Shit, Elsa had vanished.

The young Queen had managed to escape, and resumed sprinting deeper into the forest. Due to the dark and snow there was virtually no visibility but she didn't care. Hopefully that meant the other girl wouldn't find her again. She was exhausted; she had never run so much in her life. She dropped down onto her knees, gathering her breath. Tears leaked from her eyes, turning into small droplets of ice as they reached the bottom of her cheeks, heavily dropping to the ground. She had almost hurt Anna, and by the look of those spikes, if one had pierced her, it could have been fateful. Elsa was convinced that history was repeating itself. She was destined to hurt the ones she loved, first Gerda and now Anna. She wished that it would all just stop. Loud sobs disturbed the quiet of the forest.

* * *

**Elsa – aged 16:**

The teenaged Princess was perched on her familiar windowsill in her bedroom, overlooking the castle's gardens. It was a gloriously sunny day, and it emphasised the magnificence of the gardens. From here, Elsa could see the stables where the horses for leisurely riding were kept. She sighed dreamily. This was where Hans worked. He was a young stable hand, just a couple of years older than Elsa. He was tall with red hair and his once skinny body had now taken on a more muscular build. His father was one of the many butlers that worked in the castle so she had known him for a few years now. They had become quite close with one another over the past few months. The young worker often brought the Princess flowers that he had picked from the castle's gardens. Although they did technically belong to her anyway, it did not take away from the sweetness of the gesture. She raised an ice covered finger and began to write something on the glass window. The phrase _Elsa and Hans forever _was written in frost_._ Naively she though she loved him, just like all sixteen year olds in her place would think.

Elsa stared at her work of art, a dopey smile on her face. She noticed movement by the stables, just behind her elegant writing. There was Hans, his handsomeness was radiating. He seemed to be talking to someone, Elsa couldn't quite see who yet. His hands were clutching something behind his back. The mystery item had soon been revealed. It was flowers, not unlike the ones he had given the Princess. A brunette haired girl, the person who he had been talking to, came into view. She took the flowers from him and brought them up to her chest, smelling them as she did so. A grin erupted on her face. She used one hand to grab the side of Hans's face and pulled him into a deep kiss. Elsa's breath caught. Her heart slammed against her ribcage. The two teenagers outside appeared to be giggling as they hurried into the stables.

Elsa was furious. How dare that girl kiss Hans, who did she think she was? He belonged to her. He loved her and she loved him. She was certain of it. She hadn't kissed him yet, but that didn't matter. They were getting to that stage. In fact, Elsa had been ready to kiss him for a while now. She just hadn't found the right moment to do it. She had since left the windowsill and was now pacing back and forth in her room. Her mind was racing. She formed snowballs in her hand and threw them at the walls, hard. The temperature in the room dropped, as did hers. Funny, for most people, their body temperature would rise. A loud knocking accompanied by someone calling her name could be heard at Elsa's door. It sounded like Gerda, but she could either wait or leave.

"I do not wish to be disturbed!" Elsa shouted. The angry girl was in no mood to deal with anyone. Her bitter thoughts continued. Hans was to blame as well. What did he think he was doing giving _her_ flowers to another girl? The knocking persisted. How many other girls was Hans courting? _Thud_ – another snowball smashed against the wall. The room was covered in snow and ice, but she didn't care. She would just melt it once her anger had died down.

The bedroom door swung open, "Your Highness, what is the meaning of all this?!" Gerda did not look happy at having been ignored.

"I said I didn't want to be bothered!" Elsa yelled. She had quickly turned on the spot to face the older woman, her hand was still raised from throwing snowballs, and it was now directed towards Gerda. The old woman spluttered and looked down at herself. The Princess looked down too. A spear of ice protruded from her right hip and another from her left shoulder. It was eerily quiet with the exception of the sound of thick droplets of blood dripping from the tips hitting the floor. The woman coughed, blood mixed with spit dribbled down her chin. Elsa screamed. With a frantic swish of her wrist she melted all the ice in the room, including the spikes. Gerda fell to her knees just as Elsa lurched forward to catch her.

"Someone help!" She screamed.

Eventually a group of servants did come to the rescue, but not before Gerda had lost a considerable amount of blood and passed out in Elsa's arms. No one knew what happened that day. Neither the Princess nor Gerda ever mentioned it, and none of the other staff dared to ask. Just like many things that had occurred within the castle walls over the years, it had been forgotten. It took several weeks for Gerda to recover. Thankfully no major organs had been hit. As soon as Gerda was well enough, Elsa had fired her – for her own safety of course. She loved Gerda more than anything, she was the only family she had left, and she could not live with herself if anymore harm came to her. Since that day she began to lose control of her powers. She constantly locked herself in her room. For the next five years Elsa hardly came into contact with anyone apart from the entourage of men that kept the kingdom in order while she was underage. Out of spitefulness, she also fired Hans and his plaything. The only thing she had to keep her company was the mantra she had created: _Conceal. Don't feel._

* * *

**Present Day:**

Too caught up in her past memories, Elsa didn't realise how long she had been kneeling in the dark forest for. It was long enough for Anna to sneak up on her without her noticing. Her loud cries had slowed down to gentle sniffles. The red haired girl stood behind her for several minutes observing her, contemplating what to do next. To say she was out of her element was an understatement. Quietly, she crouched down behind her friend and reached round to wrap her arms around her, effectively pulling her into a tight hug. Her chin rested on Elsa's shoulder. The older girl tensed at the feeling of Anna pushed up against her back.

"Please don't run away again." Anna's voice was barely above a whisper. She sounded so vulnerable. The sniffles continued. "It's ok to cry. Let it all out."

Although the redhead was obviously cold, she still emitted warmth, one that Elsa eventually succumbed to as she pressed her back into her. After several minutes the tears subsided. The blonde became hyper aware of everything. She could hear the other girl's breathing, could even feel it against her ear. Anna's arms had overlapped themselves across her stomach, and her hands were softly rubbing up and down her sides in a soothing manner. It was a heavenly feeling, and Elsa shivered in response.

"Are you cold?" Anna revised that question, "Do you even get cold?"

It felt strange to hear a voice in such a hushed atmosphere, and it took several minutes for Elsa to find her own to reply. "No."

Anna wasn't sure whether that was a response to the first or second question. But she assumed that it was probably meant for both. She loosened her grip. The girl in her arms tensed immediately.

"Please don't let me go." It was a timid request.

"I'll never let you go." She took a deep breath, "I promise." It was enough to calm Elsa, who relaxed instantly.

The two girls spent the next half an hour in pure silence, just holding onto each other like they were all that was left in the world. The snow had started to thaw, and the temperature soon went back to normal. However it was still rather cool, as it was a spring night. Eventually Anna manoeuvred Elsa so that they were facing one another, her hands rested on the older girl's biceps. She noticed some frosty tear drops on her cheeks, and tried to brush them away with her thumb. They melted under her finger tips. She smiled.

"I'm sorry." Elsa said, her eyes downcast.

Anna's eyebrows knitted together, "For what?" It was a loaded question. She was interested to see what exactly the other girl was referring to.

"The snowstorm, making you run all the way out here," she took a deep breath, "the kiss." She couldn't even look Anna in the eye, too ashamed of her actions.

There it was – the kiss. For some reason it was at the forefront of Anna's mind. What she should have been thinking about was Elsa's crazy power over snow and ice. Whilst first chasing the blonde she had almost been crushed by falling trees – twice. She should have been more infuriated by that. She could have been seriously injured or worse, killed. But no, Anna was more livid about having been kissed by Elsa. That girl had defiled her lips. What gave her the right to do that? Did she think that because she was Queen she could get away with such a thing? It was wrong and unnatural. Then again, so was killing in the name of her father. She didn't have any right to judge. Turns out neither of them were perfect.

Anna realised she had yet to reply. Honestly, even with her quick wit she didn't know what to say. Then it hit her. She knew what she had to do, much to her chagrin. She looked at the girl in front of her and tried to hold back the cringe at what she was about to do. Carefully, Anna lifted a hand up to rest on Elsa's cheek. She stroked her thumb across it a couple of times. The blonde sighed and closed her eyes. Anna leaned in and lightly pulled the blonde by the arm to meet her halfway. She tilted Elsa's head with her hand and softly pressed her lips against a pair of cold ones. She heard a gasp. A pair of hands gripped her arms and pushed her away.

"W-what are you doing?" Elsa stuttered.

"Letting you know that you know that you shouldn't ever have to apologise for being who you are." Anna almost believed her own words; she just hoped that the older girl did too.

Elsa seemed to contemplate this before their eyes met for a few seconds. Their lips met again. It wasn't clear who initiated the kiss. It didn't matter. They moulded together perfectly, moving rhythmically against each other. Anna felt Elsa's cold tongue brush against her lips. Complying she opened them, allowing it to explore her mouth. Tenderly she massaged it with her own. She could vaguely register Elsa's hands squeezing her hips. Hers rested on the blonde's cheek and shoulder, attempting to pull the other girl closer, if that was even possible. The stark contrast of hot and cold tongues moving together was exhilarating. Small moans were released. It was euphoric and Anna would never admit it, but she was enjoying it just as much as her friend. Eventually they pulled apart, their lips slightly swollen from the kissing. They looked at each other and laughed.

* * *

It was nearing midnight and Anna wasn't sure if her father was still awake. She was beginning to regret her decision to come here. After her little tryst in the forest with Elsa she had returned home to read the letter her father had sent her. He hadn't written much – just some simple instructions of where he was hiding and to report to him as soon as she received this letter. His hideout was a small ship docked up by some cliffs a fair distance away from Arendelle. It took Anna at least an hour to get there by horseback. The guards instantly let her on board and directed her to the captain's cabin – her father's cabin. Hesitantly she knocked on the wooden door.

"Come in." An authoritative voice called. Anna was on edge at once and she cautiously entered. She had no idea what kind of mood her father would be in until she saw him. Her eyes adjusted to the dim room. The King was sat at a large oak desk. On it his elbows rested, his fingers on both hands were pressed together accordingly. She bowed and knelt down on one knee. "Ah Anna, how have you been my dear daughter?" Although his voice held a fake niceness, he had acknowledged Anna as his daughter, and this meant that he was happy with her.

"I've been hard at work, your majesty. The mission is going well." She looked down at the dirty wooden floor as she spoke.

"That's what I like to hear!" He clapped his hands together. "No need stay kneeling Anna, there is a perfectly good chair right here." He gestured to the one situated in front of his desk. The nervous girl rose from the ground and sat in it. "So, run me through the details."

He seemed genuinely interested, and Anna tried to include every bit of information she could remember, no matter how trivial it seemed. The King only interrupted her once, and that was to offer her some whisky. She hated the taste, but she knew better than to say no to her father. She told him about how often she and the Queen met up and the things that they did when they were together. She mentioned stories of Elsa's life that she had been told, even though the older girl had asked her to keep them private. Anna's loyalties lied with her father, but it only stretched so far. She didn't know why, but she couldn't bring herself to tell him about Elsa's mysterious powers, or the sinful kisses that they had shared. The girl dreaded to think what would happen to her if her father found out that she was withholding information. She tried not to let her fear show.

After Anna's recounting of the past couple of months, the King downed the remainder of his whisky before speaking. There was a malevolent grin on his face "Well then, since everything seems to be on track, it is time to move onto the next part of the plan."


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Hey guys! This chapter has been rewritten. I'm sorry to everyone who took the time to read it the first time round but personally I just wasn't happy with it, and I know that some of you guys weren't either. Thanks for all your continued support and the next chapter should be up tomorrow :) x

* * *

**Chapter 5:**

"He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself may be mightier still" – Lao Tzu

* * *

A week had passed since Anna's meeting with her father; she had been given new orders on top of her main mission. She should have been grateful for the change in plans, day-to-day life had become rather boring, but she was not.

Recently Elsa had become insatiable when it came to kissing Anna, and the princess turned soldier's control was rapidly dwindling. She feared what would happen if her father found out what was going on between herself and her Queen, and that she was beginning to enjoy it. Hence why she had built herself up to be the person he wanted her to be – a ruthless monster. But she wasn't, and she was finding it harder and harder to keep up the facade.

Currently, Anna was stood in her kitchen of the small cottage with the three soldiers that were undercover with her. They had all just finished their lunch, awaiting Anna's update on the next part of the mission.

"So, as you are all aware, I have received some new orders." She paused, drinking in their eager eyes. Her companions nodded, as sign for her to continue. "It involves finding the captain of Arendelle's navy and getting him to kindly tell us some information regarding their defence plans and manpower of the navy. Theoretically it is only a one man job, but since you have all been good, one of you may accompany me."

Each soldier took a turn presenting their argument as to why they should be allowed to join Anna on this mission. Lars argued that gaining information would obviously require the use of torture, and this was his area of expertise. He had told Anna that he had even picked up a few tips from the Chinese. The Princess feigned interest in what he was saying. Hilda was up next. Her reasoning was that the King had put her on this mission so that Anna could utilise her in every way. She was efficient and obedient, and would follow Anna's demands exactly. Lastly, there was Kristoff. The redhead wondered how he was going to persuade her. He was not one known for begging.

"I just think it would be a fun day out." She made her choice. He may have been as messed up as the rest of them, but she trusted him that slight but more.

Anna made eye contact with all three of them. Lars and Hilda were perched on the edge of their seats, the anticipation was killing them. She laughed. Kristoff on the other hand, was resting is chin on his knuckles, slouching forward over the kitchen table, a lazy smile on his face. "After carefully considering all of your arguments, I announce that the winner is in fact Kristoff." There were cries of outrage from the other two. "Congratulations. We're leaving at 4pm so prepare yourself in the mean time."

"How on earth could you choose him over me or Lars? He didn't even have a valid reason for wanting to go!" Hilda was outraged. Lars wasn't happy either, but instead he just sat quietly with pursed lips.

Obviously the woman's point about being able to follow orders was a lie, because Anna was sure that she had told her numerous times not to talk back to her. She would just have to teach her a lesson. The princess had a neutral expression as she slowly advanced on Hilda. The older woman visibly shrank away. Anna grabbed the woman by her hair and threw her out of her seat and onto the floor. Hilda cried out in surprise. Anna told herself that she had to do this, otherwise they would know, _he_ would know.

Anna swiftly kicked the woman in the ribs. "I thought I told you not to defy me." She was breathing heavily now, her anger apparent. Elsa's kisses flashed in her mind; reminding her of the despicable person she had become, undeserving of such affection. The girl looked down at the woman below her who was trying to hold back her tears. "And by the way, I chose Kristoff because he was the only one who didn't see it as a job that needs to be done. He sees it as fun, which is how you two need to think. It makes the days a lot easier." She turned to her 'father'. "Lars, help Hilda up and take her to her room. Try and stop the bruising."

The tall man did as he was asked, and carried Hilda out as fast as possible out of fear of incurring Anna's wrath. Kristoff, who had watched the whole exchange, rested his hand on his friend's shoulder. The girl relaxed under his touch.

"Anna, what was that all about?" He asked gently. There was no reply. "I know that it was not her place to speak, but she did not deserve that."

"I know."

It wasn't much, but it was all she had.

* * *

It hadn't taken long for Anna and Kristoff to find out where the Captain lived. All it took was for the pair of them to go around chatting to the people of Arendelle. They were all so friendly, they had no idea what important pieces of information they were letting slip through idle chit-chat. Kristoff found it amazing how open they all were with strangers. It was definitely not like this back in Stavanger.

So here they were in the basement of the Captain's house, he was tied to a chair. Across from him was his wife, also tied to a chair, tears streaming down her face. She had been left untouched for now.

Anna felt sick. Why did her father always force her to do such things? It was almost as if he knew that behind all the walls she had built, she was just a frightened girl, begging for someone to save her. He was waiting for her to trip. Looking at the two frightened people before her only solidified what she was thinking, no one was coming to save her from this life. She knew what would have to be done in order for her to survive. Steeling herself and her emotions, Anna stepped in front of the Captain.

"My name is Princess Anna of Stavanger and this here," she gestured to her companion, "is Kristoff, one of my soldiers." She watched as his eyes flickered between the two of them. "Now with that information, I'm sure you have worked out why we are here, and why you are currently being held captive in your own basement?" She removed the cloth gag from his mouth, allowing him to speak.

"I won't tell you anything." He spat blood on the floor; there was still a fair amount of it running down his chin from where Kristoff had punched him earlier.

"I was afraid you'd say that." She drew the small knife from out of its sheath on her hip in a threatening manner. "I don't want to use this, but I will if I have to." Her face was blank, unreadable. "Kristoff." She wouldn't hurt him, _yet_, but Kristoff would.

The blonde man approached the Captain and began to throw punch after punch, pausing every so often to see if he was ready to answer. He wasn't. The only response they received from him was laughter. It was a mixture of pain and his pride, and it made Anna feel queasy. She quickly squashed down the nausea. She couldn't let Kristoff see that she was failing. Yes she had killed before, many a time in fact. But torture was different. You had to prolong the agony and suffering, to let your victim hope that they would survive in the end. But her father, the King, had taught her that the most important thing was to make sure that your victim never survived. Otherwise they would only come back to haunt you. To inflict pain on another person just so that she wouldn't have to go through pain herself, it was cowardly and selfish. But it was all Anna knew.

As the Princess watched Kristoff beat the poor man for information, she recalled the first time she had been ordered to torture another human being when she was just fifteen years old. Horrific things had been done by her hand, and her father had watched her from the shadows the whole time without her knowledge. She had tried to keep up the persona of a cruel and vicious being not unlike the King, but ultimately it crumbled. She remembered throwing up all of her stomach's contents, and her father stepping out of the darkness as she did so. That night, the memory of his hateful laughter had forever been burned into her mind, along with the beatings and fifty lashings that now tainted her body.

Once again Anna could feel the vomit creeping up her throat. She swallowed hard. _Don't trust. Don't fear. Don't hesitate._ Her father's mantra played on repeat in her head. "Kristoff, that's enough." She glanced sideways at his wife. Tears soaked her face. The girl approached her and slowly began to remove the gag from her mouth. The frightened woman desperately attempted to move her head away from Anna's reach, but was unsuccessful. "If you can convince your husband to reveal the navy's defence plans, then I shall let you both go."

Apparently she did not hear Anna's request. "Why are you doing this?" The woman cried. "You make it seem like this is normal! You're evil! Both of you are evil!"

Perhaps she was right.

"That's because it is normal for us. Not everyone got to be raised in the fucking perfect Arendelle. We were raised to kill and destroy. And that's exactly what we're going to do to you unless you tell us what we want to know."

Fear flashed in the woman's eyes, and in that moment, Anna knew that was exactly what her father saw in all those he came across. She had _become_ him. She couldn't stop it this time. She doubled over as everything from her stomach emptied itself on the cellar floor. Her throat burned. Tears clouded her vision.

"Anna!" Kristoff yelled in panic.

Vaguely Anna felt someone grab one of her arms and begin to lead her somewhere. Her head was spinning, and she still felt sick, but she was certain that there was nothing left to throw up. Before she knew it she was being handed a cup of water in the Captain's kitchen.

Kristoff rubbed her shoulder warily. "Anna, what was that?"

Fear gripped the Princess's heart. He saw. He knew. She was weak and he would tell her father. The pain would come and it wouldn't stop. She began to shake violently. "Don't tell him. Please don't tell him! I'll kill you if you even try." Could she kill him? He was the closest thing to a friend she had in this messed up world.

"Anna calm down." Kristoff was a mixture of alarmed and confused. Surely this broken girl wasn't the same Anna he knew. The Princess of Stavanger was as ruthless as her father. Not this frightened girl before him. "Look, let's not get ahead of ourselves. I don't know what the hell is going on, but it is vital that you tell me everything I need to know."

Anna downed the water and took a shuddering breath. She didn't know if she could trust him. But everything hand gotten so out of hand that it didn't matter. "I've been living a lie."

"What do you mean?"

Her voice shook as she tried to explain "I put up a front. On the outside, I'm just like _him._" Kristoff knew who she was referring to. "Sometimes I feel like I'm losing myself. Sometimes I feel the thrill of the kill and it makes me sick. But inside, I'm still that frightened little girl he used to beat to the point of near death. I hate what we do. We're monsters." Kristoff was eerily silent. "Say something. Please."

The blonde man was rigid; his eyes stared into Anna's. "I can't believe you've never told me any of this before. After everything we've been through together!" He was shouting now, the disbelief evident in his voice.

"I didn't know if I could trust you!"

_Smack._

Anna didn't get chance to say anything else, something heavy collided with the back of her head. She fell to the floor with a thud. Coloured spots obscured her vision. She closed her eyes and clutched her head. There were shouts and the sound of things crashing and breaking. Their prisoners had somehow freed themselves from their ties, and were now attempting an escape. Soon the noises were replaced with quiet bar Kristoff's heavy breathing. Anna opened her eyes. Instantly she noticed the two lifeless bodies on the floor.

"I'm sorry Anna, I had to do it. They were going to escape. It was us or them."

She knew he was right.

But they had failed their task.

They would pay for it dearly.

* * *

It was night time and Elsa had managed to sneak Anna into the castle and into her bedroom. It had been a lot easier than she thought it would be. The reason for this secret meet up in Elsa's room was that the two of them hadn't had chance to see one another the past couple of days. The blonde girl had been too busy attending to royal business and her friend had been busy torturing people. Not that the older girl knew that of course.

After the day's events Anna had a crazy idea. She would teach Elsa to control her powers. She would need to know how to defend herself and Arendelle when Stavanger's forces finally attacked. The Princess knew that she would be the one to face Elsa in the final battle, and she would lose; proud to die at the hands of someone so kind and noble.

Elsa was ecstatic at the idea. Although of course she didn't know the true reasons. But it was getting more and more difficult to keep snow and ice out of her everyday life. They were sat on the bear rug on the floor. They were facing each other, legs crossed and straight backs. Their arms were stretched out front so that their hands were joined. Elsa's eyes were closed.

"Just relax," Anna's voice was soft and quiet. "Just do as I say. Keep your eyes closed. Take a deep breath, in through your nose, and out through your mouth." She kept her eyes on the blonde to make sure that she did it. "Good. Now keep doing that for a few minutes."

When Anna had first suggested a form of meditation, Elsa had refused. And when she finally gave in and started doing it, she just complained that she felt stupid. However the redhead's firmness had ceased any protest. Elsa had no idea how much time had passed before Anna finally spoke again.

"Now you have to really concentrate. You need to carry on the deep breathing when answering these questions. What can you hear?" Again her voice was barely above a whisper.

Elsa didn't reply straight away. "I can hear you breathing. Every breath that you take in and every breath you release." The way she said this seemed almost sensual to Anna. She tried to brush it off. "I can hear the wind whistling outside; hear it rustling the leaves on the trees."

"Good. What about touch? What can you feel?"

"Your hands," her thumbs stroked the back of the younger girl's hands for emphasis. "They're so soft, so hot in mine. It's soothing. My cool skin craves it."

Anna gulped. "What about the temperature of the room? How does that feel?"

"It doesn't feel particularly hot or cold. It's mild, comfortable."

"Keep concentrating on your breathing. I want you to try dropping the temperature of the room to freezing point, and then raising it back to normal."

"I don't think I can make it go back."

"Just trust me. I believe you can. Relax. If you do this small thing for me, we'll call it a night and I'll grant you a wish." Anna smiled even though Elsa couldn't see it.

The older girl relented. She removed her hands from Anna's but kept her eyes closed. She concentrated on her breathing, and turned her palms up towards the ceiling. She willed her power to be under her control. The redhead felt the temperature of the room rapidly drop, and a thin layer of snow began to cover everything inside. She kept quiet throughout the whole thing. Slowly, the snow began to dissipate and the temperature went back to normal. She actually did it. Elsa's eyes slowly opened and Anna pulled her into a tight hug. She was so proud of her friend. Changing the temperature of the room at will may not seem like a lot to some people, but to Elsa, it meant the world.

Elsa's wish was of course to make-out with Anna, who willingly agreed. They had been kissing on the bed for quite a while now, and things were starting to get quite heated. In this moment, Anna was on top of Elsa, one of her legs locked between hers. Both of them were panting heavily, their kisses growing more and more frantic, and their tongues battling for dominance. They needed more, but of what they didn't know. Elsa's hands had moved from the bottom of Anna's back hand now rested on the cheeks of her behind. She squeezed and used them to pull the younger girl closer against her. A soft moan escaped Anna's lips. Elsa's heart fluttered.

One hand supported the redhead's weight, whilst the other was busy stroking up and down Elsa's side. It came to rest on her ribcage. Anna was hyperaware that the tips of her fingers were almost touching Elsa's breasts. She had a primal urge to feel them in her hands. She manoeuvred them higher and lightly squeezed. She was rewarded with a low moan and a nip to her bottom lip. Anna's heart was pounding, so was Elsa's. Neither had any experience with this sort of thing, they were just doing what felt right. It felt so hot between Anna's legs. She didn't know why and she didn't care. She just wanted those hands on her rear to carry on their magic.

Elsa decided that it was time for her to be on top, and she tried to reposition them. As she did so, her thigh collided with Anna's hot and sensitive centre. A loud 'oh' was half squeaked half moaned by the redhead. After realising what had happened, both of them made eye contact and froze.

Anna didn't understand what was happening with her body. It felt so strange. She was losing control again. She began to panic. She was tainted and dirty; the Queen should not be touching her. "I'm sorry I have to go." She got up and straightened out her clothes in one fluid movement. She quickly made her way over to the window and opened it, ready to jump out to escape. The temperature of the room suddenly dropped, and ice began to form on the glass. She spun round to face Elsa. The girl hand tears trickling down her face. Anna's heart dropped. She walked back over to the bed. "Hey look at me." The younger girl rested her hand on her friend's cheek, "I'm not mad or upset. Things just escalated really quick and scared me a bit okay? Please don't blame yourself." Elsa nodded but didn't look at her. "I just need to go home and cool down. I'll be back again tomorrow ok?"

There was no reply. Anna pressed a chaste kiss on Elsa's lips. The young Queen smiled "See all better. Now make the room go back to normal. I know you can do it." Anna winked at the blonde. She made her way back to the window, blew a kiss to Elsa, and jumped out of it, running away into the night.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

* * *

"The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them" – Ernest Hemingway

* * *

"Aren't we going to talk about it?" Kristoff asked as he meandered through the crowds of townspeople.

"No." Anna responded simply as she stared resolutely ahead.

Anna picked up the pace, and the blonde man had to break into a jog to catch up to her. "Aw come on Anna. After all we've been through together. I would have thought you could trust me by now." He was saddened by the thought that she didn't, and he almost didn't want to hear her reply. After yesterday's events, he thought that perhaps she would trust him enough to confide in him.

"I think that's the reason why I don't." Her reply cut him deeper than any knife wound ever had.

Kristoff tightly grabbed Anna's forearm and pulled her under a tree. They were masked by the shadows cast by the bright sun beating down on the tree. It was as if this simple act made them invisible to the rest of the world. Kristoff loosened his grip and turned to the redhead. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The smaller girl sighed, evidently not wanting to have this conversation. "The things that you have done, the things that _we _have done, it makes it difficult for me to know if I truly can trust you." Kristoff's face scrunched up. He didn't understand, so Anna continued. "All the people that you have hurt and killed on behalf of my father only proves your loyalty to him. I-"

"But what I have done is no different to you." Kristoff interrupted. "Are you loyal to the King?" Anna didn't reply. Instead she stared down with sudden interest at the floor. "Well? Are you?"

Anna couldn't meet her companion's questioning eyes. Was she loyal to him? The answer was no. She supposed that she had been once upon a time, but the days she had spent with Elsa, Queen of Arendelle, had destroyed what tenuous loyalty she had to him in the first place. Anna's fists clenched, her knuckles turned white, and her nails dug half moons into the palms of her hands. Finally she looked up, but not at Kristoff. Instead she looked up through the tree leaves and into the sky, praying to the Norse Gods to give her the strength to make the right choice. If she told the truth now, it could be the end of her. Even uttering the word would be classed as treason against the King of Stavanger.

Anna's eyes met Kristoff's with a new fierceness. It reminded him of the Anna he was used to seeing. "No." It was as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "I Princess Anna of Stavanger, hereby declare that I abolish my loyalty to the King of Stavanger." There it was. She had said it, and she could not take it back. Anna prayed that her faith and trust in Kristoff had not been misplaced.

The blonde man suddenly dropped to the floor on one knee, and proudly raised his head to look at Anna. "And I Kristoff Solberg, son of Erik and Ingrid Solberg, pledge my allegiance to you, Princess Anna of Stavanger." Anna's breath had caught in her throat, and her heart jumped at the gesture. "I will always be by your side. I shall protect you; follow your orders without question. You are like a sister to me, I love you, and I would die for you."

These words were exactly what Anna needed to hear. She had a companion, a friend, a brother. In this cruel and fucked up world she had someone. She was not alone. Her heart that she thought had frozen to protect her from the pain melted. She grabbed the kneeling man by the shoulder, attempting to lift him from the ground. Kristoff understood the action, and rose up. Anna's arms quickly wrapped round him, her head rested on his chest. She felt his large arms circle around her back. For the first time in forever, Anna felt safe. Perhaps it was just an illusion, but she couldn't find it in herself to care.

Kristoff was the first to break the silence. He pulled back from the Princess. "So, what are we doing in the town?"

Anna missed the contact, but was still smiling nonetheless. "I think the market is on today, and I was hoping to get Elsa some flowers." A faint blush painted her cheeks.

"Oh really? Trying to court the Queen are you?" Kristoff joked.

"Maybe."

The young man's eyes widened, clearly not expecting it to be true. "You're not serious are you?" Anna began walking back to the crowd, heading towards the market. Hurriedly Kristoff caught up with her. "Oh come on, why is it so difficult to get things out of you?"

The redhead continued walking, but decided to answer him. "I care about her, Kristoff. I didn't know this would happen, but it has. And I think she likes me to." If the Queen's lustrous kisses were anything to go by.

* * *

It was turning out to be a beautiful day. The townspeople were out in their flocks, and this season's flowers had bloomed wonderfully. Children laughed and played, and young couples leisurely strolled past, holding hands and taken advantage of the gorgeous weather. Love was all around, and the elderly man was confident that this would help him to sell some of the exquisite and vibrant flowers he had. He was surrounded by a multitude of colours; brilliant blues, radiant reds, pretty pinks, and many others that were too marvellous to even begin to describe.

The old man stood behind his stall patiently, smiling at the passersby as he waited patiently. His wife would arrive soon to keep him company, and he looked forward to it. They had been together for well over 50 years now; their mutual love of flowers had brought them together. He had heard that for some, love fades over time, but for him and his wife, this was not the case, instead it had grown strong with each passing day. Until one day, it bloomed into something beautiful, love.

A young couple began to approach the stall, and the old man forced himself to stand straighter, a warm smile graced his face. They looked like a picture perfect couple, her red hair complimenting his blonde. Finally they stood before him.

"Ah young man, a flower for the lady perhaps?" He picked up a bright red rose, holding it out for Anna to smell.

Anna leant forward and inhaled, closing her eyes as she did so. She opened them, and straightened her posture. "Actually we're here to buy some flowers for a friend of mine."

That was surprising. It was rare that a girl bought flowers from him. "Ah I see." The old man tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Do you know what kind you are looking to buy?"

Anna looked at the assortment of flowers before her; a gentle breeze rustled their leaves. "No." She truly had no idea.

He looked at the blonde man beside her, who in turn shrugged his shoulders. "Well what is your friend like?"

"She's kind of quiet and shy; beautiful and kind." Anna's fingers brushed over the flower petals as she spoke.

Ah, so her friend was also a girl. The old man still wasn't sure what flowers to suggest. "She sounds lovely. What does she look like? Flowers should complement the person you are giving them to."

Was it too much to describe Elsa as a Goddess? Anna thought so. Although this man seemed kind, he may not react well to her obvious swooning over the young Queen. "She has white blonde hair that glows beneath the moonlight, large blue eyes like sapphire, and her pale skin suits her perfectly."

This mystery friend truly did sound wonderful, and the young redhead was clearly infatuated with her.

"Hmm, ok." The old man stopped tapping his chin. He'd gained enough details to come up with a suggestion. "I think that you should choose flowers that have a blue hue to them. They will go splendidly with her eyes. She could even wear one in her hair." He smiled kindly.

Anna liked the sound of that. She wanted Elsa to know how special she was, and this would be a great way how. She carefully assessed all of the flowers without touching. Kristoff did not disturb her; instead he just stood back and watched. After several long minutes, she had decided on two flowers. The first the redhead had chosen was simple yet elegant. Each flower had roughly 5 petals from what Anna could see, with a yellow centre. Originally she was just going to get a bunch of these but a purple flower caught her eye. It was an interesting shape, but she felt herself inexplicably drawn to it. She had never seen anything quite like it, but she just knew that she wanted it.

"I want a few of this one and this one." Anna pointed to the flowers.

The old man looked to where the young girl's fingers had pointed. He frowned. "Forget-me-nots and purple hyacinths? My dear, I'm not sure that those will go well together. And besides that, flowers have symbolic meanings and –"

"Regardless of the meaning, those are the ones I want. In my heart I know that those are the right ones."

As Anna finished what she was saying, they were all joined by an elderly woman, who gave her husband a quick kiss on the cheek as she arrived. The old couple smiled lovingly at each other before turning back to Anna and Kristoff.

"Ah Sir, Madam, I would like you to meet my wife, Gerda." The old man smiled proudly as he gestured to the woman besides him.

"It's nice to meet you." Both Anna and Kristoff said at the same time, although the woman did not reply. Gerda just stared at Anna, her face blank and eyes unmoving. The girl found it to be quite unnerving.

The old man had finished wrapping up the flowers and hesitantly handed them over to Anna. "Here you go, dear." He smiled politely, "I hope they bring about the desired effect."

Anna thanked him as Kristoff paid. She was eager to get away from the stall. The atmosphere had suddenly felt tense and that old woman was starting to unsettle her. It couldn't be that she had recognised her could it? No, that was impossible. She had mainly been kept in the shadows whilst her father _acquired_ other kingdoms. Once they were out of earshot, she would ask Kristoff if he had noticed the tension.

Gerda was in shock. That girl, it couldn't have been her could it? It couldn't have been Princess Anna of Stavanger. It was not impossible. She had the same red hair, eyes a peculiar mix of both blue and green, and freckles that decorated the entirety of her face. Perhaps it was just a girl with similar features. After all, it had been a little over 10 years. But in her heart she knew it to be true. And that meant that the King must also be here too. She had heard the news of the terrible reign of the King. If they were here then Arendelle was in danger, Queen Elsa was in danger.

The elderly woman was furious with herself. The late King and Queen of Arendelle had trusted her to look after Elsa, and she had failed. Princess Anna had probably already planted herself in Elsa's life. Even though she had been fired because of the 'accident', Gerda knew that she should have fought harder to keep her job. But truth be told, Elsa's powers had frightened her. Guilt washed over her like a tidal wave. All these years and Queen Elsa had probably been alone. Gerda was the closest thing she had to family, and she had left her. But the old woman knew how to make it right, and it would all start with a letter given to her by the late King.

Gerda hadn't noticed that her husband had been talking all this time, too caught up in her thoughts. "I'm sorry, Kai. What did you say?"

The old man, Kai, sighed. "I said, all flowers have a meaning, and supposedly they reflect what the person actually feels, even if they do not realise it."

"Oh, and what do the flowers that the young girl picked mean?"

"True love and memories." Gerda was about to speak but Kai continued, "And the second flower, it means 'I am sorry, please forgive me'."

* * *

It didn't take long to arrive back at the cottage after having visited the market. Anna abandoned Kristoff at the front door and immediately rushed in to fill up a vase with water to put the flowers in. She didn't know how long it would take for them to start to die, and she wanted them to be as fresh as possible before she gave them to Elsa in the evening. She was pretty pleased with herself. Her good mood was soon interrupted by Lars.

"I am sorry to disturb you, Anna." He began cautiously. "The King sent word for you. He requires your presence. He expects you to be there as soon as possible."

Fear gripped her heart. He knew. She and Kristoff had failed in their mission. They were going to pay for it. She nodded in response and went to find Kristoff to inform him of the situation.

A couple of hours later, Anna found herself kneeling before her father in his dark and musty cabin. She could barely contain her shaking. Her time in Arendelle had ruined her. She had grown weak, unable to hide her fear. It was on display for her father to see and to mock.

The King leaned back on the front of his desk as he addressed his daughter and the young soldier beside her. "I am very disappointed in the two of you, especially you Anna." This was just the calm before the storm. Anna's eyes stayed focused on the dirty floor. "I asked you to gain information from the navy Captain. You gained none." He held a dagger in his hand, and he ran his finger along the sharpened blade. "Do you think this acceptable?!" He ploughed the knife into the wooden desk. "What am I going to do with the two of you?" An evil grin broke out on his face. "You need to be punished. And I know just how."

* * *

Behind her father's desk sat Elsa, brows furrowed as she read over important documents to do with Arendelle's imports and exports. There was a loud knock at the door.

"Your majesty? A letter has arrived for you." A maid called from the other side.

Elsa sighed. She never thought she'd say this but she was sick of reading over things. "Bring it in."

The maid hurried in, placed the letter on the desk, curtsied and left. The servants knew that she did not like to be disturbed. Elsa picked it up. Straight away she noticed that on the letter's wax seal was Arendelle's crest; an eagle with a sword gripped in its claws. How curious.

Elsa broke the seal and began to read.

_Dear Elsa,_

_ If you are reading this, then that means that you are now Queen, and myself and you're mother are dead. I am sorry that we cannot be with you physically, but we are with you in spirit, my child, always. _

The young Queen felt a twinge in her heart. She missed her parents so much. The pain of their loss never faded, and reading her father's words only made the emotional wound seem deeper.

_But I digress. This letter is vital for explaining the truth. Stavanger was not always a kingdom to be feared, in fact, it was allied with many other kingdoms across Norway, including Arendelle. _

Her face was a picture of confusion. Why was her father telling her this? Her lessons in current affairs as a teenager had already taught her the history of other kingdoms relations to Arendelle.

_You may be wondering where I am heading with this, but be patient, I am getting there. You probably do not remember this, but when you were a child, the Queen of Stavanger fell ill to a terrible illness, and sadly she passed away. The King was left heartbroken, as was his daughter. _

Ah yes, she had heard that Stavanger had a Princess, although there was virtually no information about her. It was strange really.

_Grief twisted him into a monster, and that is the man you see today. Evil and cruel, I fear that he will have pushed his wicked ideals onto his daughter, Princess Anna. _

Anna? No, it was just a coincidence.

_You do not know how much my heart aches as I think about what I am about to write next. I did a terrible thing, Elsa. I was scared. So was your mother. I didn't know what to do. I had to protect you, not as King but as your father. When you were a child, Princess Anna would often come to visit you, even stay for a few days with her father. We were great friends with Stavanger's Royal Family before the Queen's untimely death. The Princess was such a lovely girl, kind hearted and free spirited even at such a young age! She had beautiful red hair and the biggest blue eyes you had ever seen. Her face was covered in freckles, which you so often teased her about. _

Elsa's hands shook, and a frost began to form on the pages in her hands. She couldn't find the strength to stop it.

_The two of you were inseparable, you were like sisters, and I knew that you loved her with all your heart. That is why I did what I did. You do not remember this girl because I had all traces of her removed from your memories. There are trolls that live deep in the woods with mystical powers that man cannot begin to fathom. Do not try to find them, Elsa. You will only be met with disappointment. _

She didn't want to read anymore. Her head was pounding, trying to split open her skull.

_Not long ago I had a meeting with the King; another attempt at a truce, another failed attempt at putting a stop to his wrath. Anna does not remember you either. He informed me that he had done the same thing to Anna as I had done to you. But what I did was to protect you, so that your heart would not get in the way of difficult decisions you are no doubt going to have to make. But the King, he did it so that Anna could be used to help destroy Arendelle, to take you down with it. _

The pain was unbearable now. Elsa's hand clutched her head, trying to find some relief.

_If you are reading this it means that Gerda must think that you are at risk, and that the truth may help you do what must be done. I am sorry that my mistakes may have caused you pain. I have broken your trust, and I hope that you can find it in yourself to forgive me. I have faith that you will do what must be done to protect Arendelle. I must go now; your mother and I are leaving by sea soon to negotiate trade with another kingdom. Remember that we will always love you._

_ With love, your father._

It felt like knifes were being repeatedly jabbed into Elsa's head. Tears streamed down her face. Her vision was blurry. Warm liquid streamed out of her nose. She quickly tried to wipe it away. Through her tears she could see that it was red. She was bleeding. The pain was agonising now. Both hands clawed at her head as she fell to her knees. She screamed.

In a small cottage deep in the woods, flowers stood tall in a vase, alone, wilting, dying.

* * *

**A/N: **Hey sorry about the late update guys. I know I said it would be the next day but uni has been really stressful lately. Let me know what you think! Hope you enjoyed it! Let me know if there are any mistakes. And there have been mixed opinions on how evil Anna should be, so I'm just going to say that you're all going to have to wait and see how she turns out in the end. Oh and just pre-warning you, the next chapter is going to be quite dark x


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: **

* * *

"I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain" – James A. Baldwin

* * *

The smell was unbearable – like rotting carcasses that had been left to fester for goodness knows how long. It may have been that her sense of smell had been heightened due to being kept in blinding darkness, but Anna was almost certain that something had died in this room – most likely rats; although it wouldn't surprise her if there were the left over bloody remnants of those who had been left here to suffer here before her. She would vomit, but there was nothing left to bring up after being starved for three days. Acid burned its way up her throat, and she coughed it out in the corner of the room. She had been wrong about there being nothing left, just like she had been wrong about so many other things.

Anna knew she had been a fool to think that her father would not find out about her failures. Most prominently, her failure in retrieving any information regarding Arendelle's navy. She sat in the opposite corner of the room to her puddle of bile, head resting on her knees, left alone to her thoughts. She berated herself for her stupidity. She should have come up with a plan to cover her mistakes. Kristoff had tried to broach the subject, and she had simply waved him away; told him that she would deal with it. But she hadn't, and now she was suffering the consequences. That wasn't the only problem though. Somehow he knew; he knew that she cared for Elsa. He didn't know the extent of her feeling, but he suspected.

Anna's behind ached from the cold hard floor, and she shifted in a poor attempt to get comfortable. It hadn't worked; a defeated sigh escaped her lips. She wouldn't feel sorry for herself. It wouldn't get her anywhere, and she knew from previous experience that this was just the beginning. Starvation and darkness was nothing. She would remain strong.

Her thoughts drifted to Elsa. She remembered when she first met the older girl. It was only a month or so ago, and the young Queen was so closed off and self depreciating. She had come a long way since then, just like their friendship. Anna clenched her hands into fists, half moon crescents were left in her palms. It was a friendship built on a foundation of lies. She hated herself for all of the terrible things that she would have done to Elsa in the past. Once upon a time, she had even felt happy at the prospect of bringing the innocent blonde harm, but now, now the very idea of it brought self loathing. Elsa represented everything that was good in the world, in fact, Anna was sure that Elsa was the only good left in the world, and she would be damned if she would let anything taint that. With her pale skin and white blonde hair, Elsa was pure and untainted, perfection incarnate, she was certain of it.

A loud rumbling echoed in the darkness, and Anna fought hard to ignore the pangs of hunger. This was nothing. She would endure it. She would endure it for Elsa, her saviour. Without knowing it, the girl had provided Anna's life with meaning, with hope, and the broken redhead clung to it with her life. She would survive what was to come because she knew that Elsa would save her. She would notice that Anna is missing. She would look for her, and find her. Elsa was the light that would overcome the darkness.

* * *

Eleven days had passed. Eleven days and Anna was still at the mercy of her father's cruel teachings, as he so called it. It wasn't punishment, no; it was simply a lesson that needed to be learned. What the lesson was she wasn't quite sure.

Anna missed the early days when she was simply starved of food. Now, she was forced to endure much worse things. Regular beatings came from a man named Fredrik, one of her father's favourite soldiers. And with good reason too. He showed no mercy, especially not to Anna. Once upon a time it had been the other way around; she had been the one to deliver the punishment to that vicious man per her father's request. She had no qualms about it, the man was despicable, and she had once caught him bragging about a woman he had raped. It made her sick. But now the tables were turned, and she was at his mercy, of which he showed none.

On one of the days kicks were being repeatedly delivered to her stomach, and for the first time she heard her father's voice on the other side of the door.

"You and I both know why this is happening, Anna. It is because of that wretched Queen. She has tainted you, made you weak. You may think that she is your friend, but she is not. Where is she now, Anna? She has not come to save you. She has left you to rot. She does not care for you."

Anna desperately tried to ignore her father's cruel words, but the seed of doubt had been planted, and it would only continue to grow in the dark recesses of her mind.

* * *

Two long weeks had passed and there was still no sign of Anna. That meant only one thing, she had returned to her father, the King of Stavanger, ready to devise a plan to overthrow Arendelle with whatever information she had gained whilst being here. The bodies of her navy's captain and his wife had been found recently, and Elsa knew that it was most likely Anna's doing, hers or perhaps the work of the people she lived with. She hated herself. She had let her emotions get the better of her, even though her father had taught her to conceal them. The young Queen put out word to the guards that the woman matching Anna's description would be brought before her immediately, but without causing her harm. She was not someone who made rash decisions, and as much as she knew she would regret it, she would give Anna a chance. Deep down that this chance was only due to the recent memories that had resurfaced, though she tried to ignore the judging gaze of her father's portrait. Word had also been sent out for the arrest of Kristoff and their supposed parents. She had no prior attachment to them, so felt no guilt at her decision.

* * *

After the sixteenth day, the King realised that simple punches and kicks from Fredrik were not working, well, not as quickly as he had hoped. Although her will and mind had begun to show signs of cracking, it was not happening fast enough for his liking. Daily whippings were in order, delivered by none other than Fredrik himself. And the King would also visit her each day. She was easily manipulated as a child, but only because she was weak. He was positive that in a weak enough physical state, he could manipulate her again. All he needed to do was show her a small amount love and compassion; give her hope.

The first day that he arrived, he brought with him fresh water and bread. At first she had refused it, but once he left the darkened cell she scoffed it down so fast that she was sick. He knew that she could not ignore it after only been given mouldy scraps of bread when she could no longer stay conscious for her beatings.

After a couple of visits that ended with Anna still being unresponsive, he tried to clean the mix of blood and dirt from her back. The broken girl just lay there flat on her stomach, too weak to resist. Somewhere deep down inside he almost felt guilt for what his daughter was going through, but she needed to learn. She needed to become strong like he was if she was going to succeed. The King attempted conversation several times, but still she didn't give in; although she did not cower from his touch as much as she used to.

On the twenty-fourth day, that's when the King heard it, Anna's piercing scream that echoed throughout the hallway. Anna never screamed. No matter what she suffered, she was able to withstand it all without making a sound, and the King was proud f the fact. But today something was wrong. He ran down the narrow corridor until he reached Anna's cell. He barged into the room, not ready for what he was about to witness. Fredrik was frozen midway through unbuckling his belt, his shocked eyes staring at the King. Opposite him was Anna, trembling in the corner of the room, hands covering her face. But even behind her hands he could see that her face was covered in blood. White hot hate took over his thoughts. Slowly, he approached Fredrik, who had still not moved a muscle. All he could hear were Anna's whimpers, and it only spurred him on more. He grabbed the sides of Fredrik's head, and sharply twisted in one swift motion. He heard the satisfying crack of his neck breaking and let his lifeless body fall to the floor. Yes he had ordered Anna's punishment, but no one would _ever_ touch her in that way. She was a Princess; she was not to be tainted by those beneath her.

"Father!" Anna leapt across the room, still on her knees, and clung to the King's legs, burying her face into the side of them.

The King was stunned by his daughter's sudden outcry, but her soft mewls awoke him from his trance. Gently he pushed her off of him so that he could crouch down beside her, engulfing her in a tight hug. "I am truly sorry, my child." He stroked the back of hair. "If I had been but a moment too late, I could not have lived with myself. I pray to Odin that Fredrik has not done this before?" He felt her shake her head against his chest – no. "Thank the Gods." The King did not speak again until Anna's sobs had ceased. "Anna, look at me."

The broken girl lifted her head up so that her father could see, but she did not dare meet his gaze. A deep gash cut across Anna's face, and the King could clearly see that it was caused by a whip. "I clearly stated that I did not want any harm to come to your beautiful face. And I most definitely did not order what that bastard was about to do."

Anna burst into tears once again, and buried her head back into her father's chest. She was so battered and powerless. She hardly had the energy to think. She couldn't remember who the enemy was anymore; she just wanted the pain to stop. She needed someone to save her, and her father had done so just moments ago. It was irrelevant that he was the cause of her suffering in the first place. Her back had been shredded and her body starved, but he was here now, her father was here because he loved her. With the last of her energy Anna tried to recall why she was here, or even for how long she had been here for. Only one word came to mind: Elsa. Her father had already told her that Elsa was to blame, but stupidly she did not believe him. But Fredrik had said so too. Every time that he inflicted more and more damage on her already frail body he had said it was because of the Queen. Anna had been left to ponder these thoughts for a week, with no further whippings, until the King finally returned.

At last the question came. "Anna, my dear, do you know why you have endured such a harsh punishment this past month?"

Ah, so she had been in this hell for just a month. It felt like so much longer. "Because of Queen Elsa." Anna said devoid of emotion.

"And what did she do to you, Anna?" The King asked cautiously.

"She tainted me father, made me lose my way. She made me weak and foolish. But I am strong. I am strong for you, father."

The King was filled with a surprising amount of pride, and a cruel smile worked its way upon his face. "Exactly, my child. But it is my fault. I dragged this out for far longer than necessary. I hoped to find a way to corrupt the Queen and have her join us. You see, she is the daughter of a man who was once a great friend of mine. I hoped that we would not have to kill her, but it seems as though it has become inevitable. Queen Elsa must die." The King paused before continuing. "And if you want to restore my faith in you, it must be by your hand, Anna."

* * *

The front door creaked open, and Anna staggered in. It had taken her almost the whole day to get back to the cottage thanks to the current state of her body. Her back felt like it was on fire, and she was sure that the wounds had torn themselves back open. A splitting headache only added to her suffering, and it caused her vision to become foggy.

It was eerily quiet in the cottage. Anna called out several times to the three soldiers, but no one replied. Although she found it peculiar, Anna didn't have time to dwell on it. She had been given her orders, and failure was not an option. If she succeeded the reward would be great, and the young girl was desperate for her father's love and affection. Elsa had to die, it was the only way. But first, Anna was going to take a bath. Her injuries were in dire need of soothing and she knew how bad she must have smelled. A day's travel combined with the lack of bathing in a month did not create the greatest aroma. She needed to be clean for Elsa.

After bathing, Anna had hoped that the wounds would no longer be infected, and that the seemingly constant flow of blood would stop. Unfortunately, this was not so, and blood continued to trickle down her beaten back. Haphazardly she tried to bandage herself, and cursed the lack of presence of the other soldiers as she did so. She grew more and more frustrated at the task, and the throbbing in her head did not help. The palms of her hands rubbed harsh circles on her forehead, attempting to create some sort of relief. That was when she saw_ him_; a dark shadow in the corner of the room.

"I said I'd do it, father!" Anna shouted. "Stop staring at me! Stop waiting for me to fail! I won't!" She was delirious and crazed; the torture she had endured had finally taken its toll.

An hour passed and Anna was dressed and ready to go. She grabbed the flowers out of the vase to give to Elsa. The older girl was going to love them. They were beautiful. Not that it mattered, she was going to be dead soon after anyway.

* * *

A nervous maid had come to inform Queen Elsa that the missing girl had returned. She hadn't the heart to tell her the state that she was in. The Queen had been in a foul mood in these recent weeks, and she didn't want to be the one to fuel it even more so. The blonde woman had jumped up from her office desk in a flash, and proceeded to race through the castle in a manner uncharacteristic of a Queen. But it was not the maid's place to judge.

When Elsa finally reached the foyer, her eyes immediately landed on Anna. The redhead was subtly swaying from left to right on her feet, and an attempt at a charming smile was plastered on her face. However, the huge cut that stretched from Anna's right eye down to the left side of her shin gained most of Elsa's attention. The redhead just acted as if nothing was amiss, and it took Elsa a while to tear her gaze away. She then noticed that both of Anna's hands were clasped behind her back, holding something out of view. She approached her cautiously. She nodded at the guards, and they left the room.

"Anna, where have you been all this time? You have no idea how much I have missed you." It wasn't too far from the truth, she had missed Anna, but with she had learned these past few weeks, she definitely did not trust her. To keep up the act of being unaware, she made a move to hug her supposed friend.

Anna stepped back, and shook her head in a playful manner. "Nuh-uh. I've got a surprise for you."

Elsa eyed her wearily. This was it, Anna was finally going to end this game she had been playing, and make the final move. "You look as though you've had a long journey. Shall we retire to my room?"

Anna nodded enthusiastically and followed Elsa's lead. As they made their way up the grand staircase, Elsa managed to steal glances at the other girl. Sweat dampened her hair and face, and her dress was ruffled and torn. There were not many steps, and they were not that steep, yet Elsa could clearly hear Anna's gasps for air. Something was seriously wrong.

Finally they reached Elsa's bedroom door, her hand reached for the handle but Anna stopped her.

"Wait." Anna's hand was gentle on her wrist. It was hard to imagine what she was truly capable of. "Here."

The younger girl produced some flowers from behind her back and held them out for Elsa to take. They were dead. No colour or life left in them. Elsa was sure that this was meant to foreshadow what was to come, and an overwhelming sadness filled her.

"They're dead."

Anna pulled them back, and looked at them like it was the first time she had truly seen them. But the older girl knew it was lie. Nobody could mistake that. She was just playing a cruel game.

"O-oh I'm sorry." Anna stuttered. "I didn't realize." The last part was spoken quietly, as if she was speaking more to herself than to Elsa. Her face was a picture of confusion.

"No matter, it's the thought that counts." She took the flowers from Anna's grasp, and she felt the leaves crumble within her fingers. Without glancing at the younger girl, she held the door open, intending for Anna to enter first. She did so, and Elsa followed her in. Closing the door behind her, she sucked in a breath, and decided to put an end to this facade. "I know who you really are, Princess Anna."

Anna turned around to face the older girl. "If you know who I am, then you know why I am here."

Mustering all her remaining strength, Anna slammed Elsa up against the door, effectively knocking the wind out of her. The dead flowers dropped to the floor. One hand gripped her shoulder tightly whilst the other pressed a dagger up against her neck. She'd pushed harder than anticipated, and a drop of blood slid its way down the blade. Her eyes followed the movement, before looking up to lock onto Elsa's. The taller girl's face remained impassive, with no trace of fear, and Anna felt her insides boil with rage.

"What? Have you nothing to say?" Her hands shook from the anger, and the blade pushed in a little deeper. The young Queen winced, and Anna felt grim satisfaction.

"Just do it." Elsa averted her eyes, staring off in the distance.

She could fight back, Anna knew she could. So why wasn't she? Elsa was strong and powerful, able to control ice and snow. Why didn't she wield it? "What is wrong with you?!" Anna screamed in her face. Elsa was silent. "You are the last remaining of royal blood in Arendelle, and yet you do nothing." Her grip on the dagger loosened. "You would rather die like a peasant than to fight back like a true leader?"

Again Elsa said nothing. Anna's vision began to blur, and her heart pounded against her ribcage. The pain was unbearable, and it felt as though it was trying to burst right out of her chest. She tried her hardest to ignore it. It was nothing in comparison to what she endured thus far. She once again became aware of the stinging sensations in her back. "I'm going to kill you now." Her hand tightened its grip on the hilt, and Anna willed herself to make the final move.

A long moment passed, and still the redhead did nothing. The pounding – it wouldn't stop. It was deafening in her ears. Anna dropped the dagger to the floor and stepped away from Elsa, leaving both hands free to clutch at her chest. Her eyes wide with fear.

"What did you do to me?!" She fell to her knees, and her hands clawed at her chest, ripping the bodice open as she did so, attempting to tear out the wretched organ. "You cursed me! You turned my heart to ice!"

Elsa was in shock, unsure of what to do. This girl before her had clearly lost her mind, and the young Queen was filled with sorrow. She stepped forward, closing the gap that had been created. She spoke softly, "I assure you, Anna, your heart was frozen long before you met me."

Why wouldn't it stop? The fast throbbing in Anna's chest was excruciating now, her ears were ringing, she could barely see. But still she saw_ him_ again; the dark shadow in the corner of the room. He was mocking her. He had come to watch her fail. "Stop mocking me!" She screamed, hands grabbing wildly at her head. The pounding stopped, and darkness consumed her.

The younger girl's body slumped and she fell on her side. Elsa had watched as her eyes rolled into the back of her head. Yet she made no move to catch her as she fainted. There was only the sound of her own laboured breaths. It felt like hours had passed before she moved to crouch down beside the unconscious girl. Elsa manoeuvred Anna so that her head was resting on her knees. With a shaky hand, she brushed a damp lock of red hair away from her face. If she looked hard enough, looked past the ugly slash that marred Anna's beautiful freckled face, she could almost see the innocent little girl from her memories. A tear escaped and began to make its way down her cheek, but it froze in place. Elsa carelessly wiped it away.

"Oh Anna, what did he do to you?"

* * *

**A/N:** Hey guys and gals! So it seemed like you all enjoyed the last chapter, all your comments made me very happy. It almost makes me feel guilty that this chapter wasn't a happy one. But alas, it was not meant to be. I did have fun writing it though XD. A big thanks to Hunhund for the beta and I hope you enjoyed this chapter x


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